A Difficult Predicament
by samisweet
Summary: AU Multicross. In a dark future, the only hope lies in a girl that had betrayed the universe. Stuck together in a dangerous journey with Usagi, Rei will learn that sometimes, even the most blatant things can be a complete lie.
1. Reunions

**A Difficult Predicament**

by samisweet

Summary: Multiple universes crash together as a destiny gone wrong causes a rip in time. A war of the worlds begin in rapid succession and it is up to the traiterous Usagi to save the universe. Is her betrayal really what it seems and will the senshi ever trust her again?

* * *

Bright flaming buildings lit up the night sky, spitting glowing embers out in contempt. Straw thatches and wooden huts caught easily, the fire spreading from one house to the next in rapid succession. Electric blue inferno fought against red as the heat expanded. Screams and shouts were barely above the roar of the fire as the occupants of the small village fled in terror. A few braver men fought long and hard against the invaders, the clattering of swords drowned out by both the fire and the people. Women, children, and men alike were killed by the raiders. Blood was splattered across the crackling ground, shining in the parts that hadn't fed to the growing blaze. Body parts cluttered the area in a sickening layer. Children cried hard as fear grew in their eyes.

She watched from a tall tree a little ways from the glowing village. Her eyes mirrored her pain. It was not a part of her mission to help them, and it would slow her down, but she couldn't let it happen. Winds blew across the thick forest, causing tendrils of dark blonde hair to brush across her face. She adjusted the crescent clasp of her silver cloak, pulling it around her body. Her serene, cold face held no trace of emotion once again as she drew up the cowl of her hood to hide her identity. She had finalized her decision. Her eyes glowed silver-gold for a moment before she simply melted into the thick branch. The only trace was a burst of silver glitter, but that faded away in the matter of seconds.

0o0o0

The man laughed as flames erupted from his hands, burning people alive. His cloak, red in color, flapped behind him in an unseen wind. A woman pleaded with her eyes as she tripped, facing him. His face held the slightest remorse before her ashes floated away. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a woman in a silver cloak rose out of the ground. Her hands glowed silver-gold before a beautiful silver-steeled katana formed in her hands. The hilt was intricately carved in gold and imbedded with precious and semi-precious gems, all set in a design of the solar system. Twirling it skillfully and dexterously, her face blank from all emotion, she struck the man right down his middle, and his cleanly halved body fell apart, blood spurting out and entrails spilling. Her katana flashed as she twirled it and struck another man, this time beheading him.

More men ran towards her. Swords clashed against hers, but was no match. She blocked an offensive maneuver before running her sword through a man's middle. A woman punched her with ember-glowing hands, fiery with bright red fire. She parried off the attacks before kicking the girl in the abdomen, causing her to fly backwards and hit a boulder. Two men and a woman, dressed in red but having no cloaks, started to swing their flaming katanas towards her. All three crashed down on to her own silver katana, sparking brightly. She pushed against them, setting her feet apart. The blades began to inch towards her face and with a thrust she managed to throw the unskilled trainers onto the ground. Another team of men turned towards her with ruby-glowing eyes, their hands glowing with the same flame, their capes flapping in the flying smoke.

"Purity shuriken!" a burning white shuriken formed in her out-stretched palm and with a flick of her wrist, it flew at dangerous speeds towards the men. It cleanly cut through all five, spinning back towards her extended hand and disappearing into it. She withdrew her body into her cloak, the silky fabric hanging loosely. She showed no evidence of the amazing exertion she put out.

"Aiieeeeeee!" an abrupt scream startled her and she spun around, hands glowing. A figure cloaked in dark red punched a woman that had been about to attack her. A fast spin-kick later, the woman was on the ground. The figure's hands glowed with red flames and the person put them together in a meditating form. A spiral blast of fire headed out, burning the wooden wagons that had been trying to escape, laden with the attacking army. Screams echoed before all was quiet. The red cloaked figure bounded away into the night and her silver-blue orbs sparked with recognition as she watched. She turned to face the remaining villagers. Her eye glowed with silver as she rose into the air, her cloak whipping around her body. A thick torrent of water doused the threatening blaze.

The villagers muttered in wonderment and awe, thanking the heavens above. Three quarters of the village remained in charred ashes; the rest was wholesome and unaffected. She floated, her cloak flapping and revealing a strapless black leotard with nothing to cover her legs. Velvet black three-inch stiletto boots clung to her calves like a second skin, ending just below her knees. Suddenly, people began noticing and pointing at her.

"Thank you, miss," a shy young girl stepped forward, hair raggedy and tangled.

"You're welcome," she gave the young lass a cold smile; it was all she could provide. The crowd exploded into tears of appreciativeness and applause. Her smile grew warmer. "As a gift and a token of my deepest apologies of what has happened, I give you these." Her hands and eyes glowed golden for a few second before she closed them in concentration. Silver and gold sparks surrounded her in a barrier before she stretched her arms forward, palm outwards. The sparks danced in a fast waltz as they headed towards a patch of thick grass. Out of the ground grew broad stocks of corn, beans, wheat, and other crops, substantial and green with beauty. "These shall keep you from hunger in the growing years to come and is fed by your happiness and generosity. Lest greed and voracity should overcome you, these crops will fail, leaving you to starve. Take heed my warning. At the moment, these will provide you food and sustenance. Now, I shall leave."

She gave one last glance at the village before leaping into the air and bouncing off of a wooden wagon. With another skillful jump, she landed in the branches of a tree. Bounding from tree limb to tree limb, she soon disappeared from the view of the gratified villagers.

0o0o0o0o0

"I know you've been following me for the past hour," she paused on a branch, hand resting lightly on the browned trunk. "Show yourself."

The figure that had helped her out in the village stepped forward through a patch of darkness. A hood covered the identity of the figure, but slim, pale hands withdrew from the folds of the cloak to draw it back.

"Usagi," the figure said with contempt. It was a female with bright violet eyes and gleaming raven hair. She was utterly beautiful, an epitome of heavenliness. A small pert nose complimented high cheekbones and full cherry lips. Her eyes were currently flashing with the hatred evident in her voice.

"Rei," 'Usagi' laughed coldly, pulling back her hood to reveal herself. "How unlike you to follow me so quietly. Aren't you going to nag me about how horrible I did? Or did I change too much?" Her tone was mocking, causing 'Rei' to glare.

"Why?" Rei clenched her teeth, her hands burning with orange-red flames and her eyes glowing with the same fire. A gust of wind blew her dark red cloak away from her body, revealing a dark red spaghetti-strapped leotard decorated with lace and black beads and a black miniskirt that ended mid-thigh. It reminded Usagi of the fukus she wore during the senshi days. Red ballet flats, adorned with black beads, covered her feet. She wore no skirt or pants. Her cloak was fastened with a pin that had a flame etched in the surface, the sign of the planet Mars in front. Black hair was in a high side-ponytail that reached a little past her shoulders and red studs glittered from her ears.

"A Fire Warrior, huh?" Usagi smiled frostily. "And quite a high-ranking one, judging from the dark color of your cloak. Of course you would be. After all, you are the princess of Mars and fire, aren't you?"

"Don't change the subject," Rei replied irately, extending a closed fist. She swiftly opened it and a burst of inferno headed towards Usagi, who elegantly dodged it with a back handspring, flipping on to the ground. Rei followed, her hands gleaming brighter than before, her breathing heavy due to her lividness.

"I'm not," Usagi gave a mock-bow. "Dear princess, how sorry I am to annoy you. I shouldn't have stated the obvious."

"You disgust me," Rei spat, her glare deepening. Usagi laughed bitterly.

"That isn't anything new, Ms. Hino. I've disgusted you from the very beginning, haven't I? I've always been stupid and low. Is that why you hate me so? Because I harness what you wanted?"

"I hate you because –"

"I don't care," Usagi interrupted. Her eyes narrowed. "You can hate me all I want. It doesn't affect me. Not anymore."

"Do you really think that you'll be able to defeat us?" Rei laughed. "We have the best of the best. All of your former senshi are the best of the best. Ami has become an Ice Warrior, Makoto is a Grass Warrior, Minako is a Lightening Warrior, Haruka is an Air Warrior, Michiru is a Water Warrior, and little Hotaru has grown up to be a Psychic Warrior. We can manipulate you easily. From what I've seen, all you can do is alterations to your past attacks and a little bit of the elements. You won't be able to go against all of us. Look at your cloak. It's still the silver-white of beginners. You haven't manipulated a single element to become your strength. You're weak."

"Don't underestimate me," Usagi shook her head. "You still think that I'm weak. I can kill you easier than a fly."

"Oh?" Rei raised an eyebrow, laughing. "And how do you propose you'd do that? Use your 'Moon Tiara Magic?' Usagi, we can easily defeat your light attacks. Light isn't even an element. It's just a form of power." Usagi noticed Rei's eyes flickering to the left. There. She did it again. She was planning something.

"I'm happy to know you've finally overcome my weakest attack," Usagi carefully watched Rei. "And I suppose you've joined the rebellion. Ah, of course you have. Look at the bracelet on your arm." A golden thread held a black charm on Rei's left wrist, barely noticeable and delicate. "One would have thought a harder way of identification would be better. But you guys don't look past the first thing you see. I should know."

"You are so damn despicable," Rei spat out. Her eyes flickered to the left on last time before she gave a slight gesture that Usagi wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Usagi shook her head and stepped back. A figure crashed into the ground just in front of her, a jumble of dark violet cloak.

"And you are so damn predictable," Usagi taunted. Bending over, she grabbed the figure by the hood and lifted it up, slamming it against a tree trunk. "State your name."

"Dark Mousey, at your service," the figure grunted, revealing a masculine voice. His hood fell back and bright amethyst eyes blinked back at her. He was breathtakingly handsome. Dark purple, almost black hair fell into his eyes, adding to his comeliness. He had a chiseled face and, from what could be seen, a lean, tall frame. A well toned body could be seen from the black muscle shirt he chose to wear. His eyes were narrowed in disdain.

"A Morphing Warrior, are we?" Usagi let go of the collar of his cloak. Dark glared. "And very high in ranking. Pretty close to Psychic Warriors. I presume you know Hotaru. Nice girl, isn't she?"

"From what I've heard, she's nicer than _you_ a hundred-fold," he spat out.

"Really," Usagi laughed coolly. "And who told you that? Miss Rei, here? Did she also tell you that I was once their best friend? Their savior? Their _light_? Did she tell you that they used to love me more than anything else in the world? Or did she only tell you about the way I left them."

"She told me all I needed to know," Dark replied, just as frigid, but Usagi could see the questioning glance he gave to Rei.

"I'm not the enemy here," Usagi stated, before turning heel and walking away, her hands drawing her hood back up. With a graceful leap, she landed on a low branch.

"Usagi, don't you turn your back," Rei's teeth were gritted and she struggled to keep her power under control.

"Does it bring back bad memories?" was all Usagi said before bounding to another tree branch. Rei and Dark followed.

"Why did you help those villagers back there? I thought you didn't care."

"Contrary to popular belief, I still have heart," Usagi's voice grew quiet and she paused. "I can't stand the death of innocent humans."

"Not much of a statement knowing how many you killed."

"That's what you think," Usagi continued her journey. "Why are the both of you following me?"

"We're supposed to guard this forest from destruction until you leave," Dark spoke up when Rei didn't say anything, and the brunette elbowed him angrily.

"I'm not here to destroy it. I'm here on a mission."

"From your precious Mamoru, I suppose," Rei voiced Mamoru with abhorrence.

"No, from someone that is none of your business," Usagi sped up, her movements liquid and flowing. Dark splotches gave way to the cloudy sky overhead. Rei and Dark grew quiet, following her intently. She suddenly paused, eyes wary. "Another sneak attack? How rude, Rei."

"What are you talking about?" Usagi inspected Rei closely and found her confusion genuine. She sighed.

"Why me?" Usagi closed her eyes, focusing, when suddenly; they snapped open, glowing silver, her hands luminescent with the same glow. Throwing her hands into the air, she formed a thin, transparent silver-gold shield around the trio. Little blasts of energy thudded against the force field, hissing as they disappeared into it. "Show yourselves, those who dare to go against me!"

Silence greeted her. She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to let down the force field." The shield disappeared into Usagi's hands and Rei and Dark stood at attentive stances. Usagi felt the back of her neck prickling, and instinctively, threw whoever was headed her way onto the ground with a graceful maneuver. She dived after the figure, pinning its arms with her knees and drawing the hooded face close. "State your name."

"Never," the figure spat, revealing its masculinity. He had an icy, drawling voice. Usagi drew back the hood to find a man just as handsome as Dark, with platinum blond hair slicked back and cool blue eyes. He was more beautiful than handsome, however, with his pronounced features, but a strong, square chin gave it away. She could feel Dark and Rei landing behind her.

Usagi drew her face close to his, her eyes daring him to do anything to her. "You are obviously a Magic Warrior, what with that little display of energy. Rei, is he one of yours?"

"No," Rei's brow was furrowed in concentration. "But he looks familiar."

"Remember that boy who dropped out of nowhere?" Dark exclaimed. "The one who was running away from a supposed Voldemort fellow! And then one of the Magic Warriors took him away to train, telling us that he'd be back to join in two years."

"Yeah," a look of realization dawned on Rei's face. "He was probably trying to find us and then saw Usagi!"

"Wonderful," Usagi said sarcastically, her voice cold and snappy. "The entire Rebellion is alerted against me. Who are you, anyway?" Usagi released the blond, springing up and showing off a few flips.

"Draco Malfoy," the blond glared at the unlikely trio. "And I was looking for Rebellion headquarters, but look who decided to betray us."

"Shut up, low ranking shit," Dark was apparently miffed by Draco. "We're on orders to escort Usagi out of this forest."

"What, jealous of my looks?" Draco laughed haughtily as he sprang up to his feet. Dark narrowed his eyes.

"Please, you and I both know that I'm better looking," Dark turned towards Rei. "Isn't that right, Rei?"

"Actually," Rei taunted, her eyes glimmering with humor. "I think Draco is tons hotter than you."

Dark's jaw dropped. "I thought you loved me!" He pouted. Usagi watched coolly, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Dark, you know I'm happy with Jadeite, who's ten times better than Draco," Rei grinned, winking.

"Jadeite?" Usagi questioned, glancing at Rei. "So now you're with the enemy?"

"No, he turned sides," Rei scowled.

"He's a double agent," she stated. "He didn't turn sides. I'd think you were smart enough to figure that out. He was using you since you were close to the highest ranking. That's how the Administration of Oz was able to penetrate through your defenses and destroy the secondary headquarters, the only place where Jadeite was allowed. It was easy access since it was located beneath Crescent Port's third post, right by the bay."

"How do you know all this?" Rei's voice held hurt, although she refused to cry. She was beyond sorrow since so much had happened.

"I hold more power than you think."

"So you're admitting you're working for the Administration?"

"Actually, you have no proof of that," Usagi gave a cold smile. "This is exactly why you can't capture me at this very moment. Oh, and Dark, I think you and Draco both need to deflate your egos and get back to what you should be doing." Usagi swung around a branch like a gymnast before launching herself into the air and landing perfectly on another branch. Dark, Draco, and Rei followed like hound dogs, throwing spats back and forth, yet keeping a close eye on Usagi. Usagi smiled lightly in spite of herself, happy that things were at least a little normal. But this was just the beginning of her journey. She had much, much more to do.

-

The night was slowly giving in to dawn, golden tendrils reaching out into the sky, lighting black to blue and sending clouds of rose and peach into the heavens. As the sky was changing color, the dark forest began to light up, the chirping and croaking of crickets and cicadas turning into the sweet twittering of morning birds. The quarto became quiet as they journeyed through the forest. Usagi had remained awake for two entire days now and exhaustion was slowly setting into her bones. A pounding headache blocked her clear-headedness and her movements grew much slower. Knowing that she was at a point of vulnerability now, she quickly set up a strong mental defense against intruders, in case she fainted. She could not risk sharing her knowledge unknowingly. Her eyes were beginning to droop but she fought to get further, although she knew it wouldn't be good for her on the long run. She paused to rest on a branch, swaying lightly.

"Is something wrong?" Rei demanded, breaking the silence that surrounded them.

"I haven't slept or ate for two days straight," Usagi replied, summoning a little bit of water to drink. "I have to continue. Each minute lost is a minute that cannot be contributed to saving the universe. It is on my shoulders and my shoulders alone. I must go on."

"Save the universe? What do you mean?"

Usagi realized she had said too much in her light daze and shook her head, not willing to continue. "Forget I said anything. It isn't for you to know. I'll have to fix your memory."

"Don't touch her," Dark's hands and eyes glowed with amethyst energy. "If you value your life."

"I can't risk you killing one of the highest ranking officials," Draco narrowed his eyes, his blue orbs glowing with an eerie white, the same energy covering his hands.

"Oh please," Usagi mumbled before spreading her fingers and putting her hands out, palm first. "Obliviate!" a pure white washed over the Rebellion members, erasing the important bit of information she had let out. It took too much energy from her almost limitless (when she was full and well-slept) store and she fainted promptly. Her body fell from at least one hundred feet from the sky. The last thing she remembered was a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist, strangely pale lavender hair and warm blue eyes, and a strikingly handsome face before blacking out completely into the welcoming darkness.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The man was tall and seemingly made of shadows; he was laughing darkly. Usagi stood facing him, fully in her fuku. The past few years had caused her to take on a rapid transformation phase and she was already Eternal Sailor Moon. Desperate times called for desperate measures and none of her other senshi knew of her fighting. The man laughed once again.

"Your senshi will die and you will live alone forever," his deep, reverberating voice taunted her, and she clenched her fists angrily.

"No, I won't let you kill them!" she shouted, the staff of the Silver Crescent Blade forming in her hands. It stood a little taller than her and a dangerous blade in the shape of a crescent was mounted on the top, the Silver Imperial Crystal resting in the hollow.

"That's too late, Sailor Moon," the man let out tendrils of black energy. They wrapped around Usagi's ankles and wrists, bringing her closer to him. He ran a finger down her cheek and trailed her jaw. She wrenched out of the energy, her breathing heavy. "You know what you have to do. You can't save them unless you do it."

"I'd never join you," she whispered harshly, tears gathering in her eyes. "Even if it means suicide."

"Oh, Sailor Moon," the man sighed, walking around her in menacing circles. "You're too powerful to let die. And you know if you do muster the courage to take your own life, your senshi would be killed. Would you do that to them? Would you let them die? This is your last chance, Sailor Moon. You can come willingly or you'll be brainwashed and your friends will be killed."

She hung her head in defeat, just as a tear rolled down her face. "I'm sorry senshi. But I must do what's for your best. Fine. I'll join you."

"I knew you'd see," the man beamed at her, his cruel laugh echoing in the empty starry night sky. His hands circled her wrists and he leaned in, placing a snide kiss on her lips. She jerked away once again, screaming as loud as she could.

_**Break**_

Usagi gasped and her eyes snapped open. Sweat rolled down her face in beads and she swallowed a scream that was threatening to tear out of her throat. Carefully looking around, she noticed that she was in an all white room. Ivy and various machines were hooked to her with needles and pads. Ripping off the pads and uncaringly taking out the needles, she swung her feet to the floor. The last thing she could recall was someone catching her as she fell from the tree. Oh no. Her eyes widened. How long had it been since she was out? She glanced around her and stood. All she wore was a virgin white hospital gown. She focused her energy and her black leotard, stilettos, and silver cape melted onto her body, leaving the gown on the floor. A clear purple force field surrounded her in a ten foot radius. Machines bleeped outside of the bubble, although no one was there.

"Interesting," Usagi murmured, gently touching the purple force field. It rippled under her hands before a thick volt of electricity, fire, and water threw her back. "Looks like my senshi don't want me to leave."

"You're right," a familiar voice resonated from one side of the room. Usagi calmly crossed her arms and smirked.

"You were always the quieter one in the group," she walked towards the force field. "But I really don't have time to chat and reminisce."

"Such a shame that we don't run by your orders anymore," a figure cloaked in pale blue stepped forward, removing its hood. It was a woman, at around 5'2", with shoulder length dark blue hair and eyes that were pale blue. Her hair, which had once been in a short bob, was now layered and slightly wavy. She had an hourglass figure and was beautiful, her intelligence shining in her now icy eyes. A cold smile played on her lips as she formed an icicle in one hand, sharp and gleaming in the pale glow of the light. "You're staying right where you are and while Hotaru disables all your movement, I will hook you up to those machines once again. We're gonna find out all your little secrets."

"Oh, Ami," Usagi fakely pouted. "I'm hurt that you would treat your first friend this way. But, alas, I seriously do not have time for this. Please let me out."

"No," Ami's voice was low, just above a whisper, as if daring Usagi to do something rash. Usagi laughed coolly, her eyes arctic. She stepped towards the force field slowly, her hands glowing silver-gold. Ami prepared an attack, eyes radiant with pale blue energy. "The beautiful thing about this force field is that it lets things in. But not out." With that, she crossed her arms in the formation of her 'Bubbles Blast' attack, but instead of the cold fog, thin pin-pricks of ice thudded against the purple shield, sinking in to fly dangerously at Usagi. The blonde merely stepped to the left and the ice stuck to the ground.

"Wow, you've really gotten strong," Usagi's voice was frigidly sarcastic, her eyes wide in an artificial look of surprise. "But, Ami, you were always the weakest senshi power-wise. You realize your only strength is your brain. And by now, I've accumulated much more than you about our… situation. And I am going to escape right in front of you." With that, Usagi simply melted into the floor in a burst of glitter before reappearing on the other side of the shield. "Boo hoo. And thought you had really caught me."

"Wh-what?" Ami stood frozen for a moment, eyes wide with astonishment, before pushing a small button on her communicator watch. Red lights began flashing as sirens alarmed the entire headquarters against Usagi's escape. Usagi laughed.

"You never could fight your own fights," the blonde tossed her hair. "Do you truly think a bunch of weak _Trainers_ could pull me down?"

"No, but a bunch of the best Warriors and Masters out there could," Ami glared. "And I'm one of them."

"I'm scared."

"As you should be."

"No, you're the one that should be afraid," Usagi smiled a knowing grin. Without warning, she charged at the Ice Warrior, kicking her across the room. Usagi's escape would have to be quick. She hurried towards the door and kicked it open, causing it to splinter into two. There were already Trainers heading her way, eyes and hands glowing with their respective elements. A couple of Water Trainers let out thick torrents of liquid and Usagi dodged them easily, swiping out all of them with a low spin kick. Parrying off the moves of a few Fight Trainers, she knocked them over with powerful punches. A flip over the heads of more Trainers landed her in a clear spot. She hurried towards double door, dodging attacks. Glancing behind her, she shouted out a spell. "Petrificus Totalus!" Since Draco was a Magic Warrior, he'd be able to un-petrify all of the young Trainers that thudded to the floor. Her first Warrior was a familiar Grass one. Makoto Kino was dangerously beautiful, with seductive, smoky green eyes and thick, curling russet hair. Her auburn hair was currently in a high ponytail. A dark green cloak covered her body as her eyes glowed with grass green.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Usagi?" Makoto's radiant eyes narrowed as she went to an offensive stance, revealing a green leotard and white miniskirt. Green ballet flats and rose earrings completed her look. She smirked.

"It has, darling," Usagi pulled back into a defensive stance, her eyes and hands glowing silver-gold. Makoto roared in anger, her out-stretched palms letting out a number of razor-sharp leaves. Usagi dodged them with flips and hand-springs, small bursts of fire burning the few that threatened her. She smiled with victory. Pulling her hands in front of her, she threw a burst of blue energy at Makoto, who flipped backwards to dodge it. A thick bundle of vines shot out of her hands and encased Usagi, squeezing her and sending electricity down the green plants. The blonde screamed as pain ripped through her veins, and with an explosion of silver, was disentangled from the menacing trailing plants. "Let's do this like women." She lunged at Makoto, throwing punches every which way, causing Makoto to parry them off and use her powerful legs to kick Usagi towards the wall. The blonde rebounded off of the walls and landed in a crouched position.

"Too much for you, Usagi?" Makoto taunted.

"I'm not even warmed up," Usagi smirked. Rei, Dark, and Ami burst into the medical wing, all positioning themselves in fighting stances. "Not fair. I'm outnumbered."

"Whose fault is that?" Dark shouted as he threw himself at Usagi. Rei, Ami and Makoto quickly joined intent on capturing the blonde that had evaded the force field. Usagi easily dodged and parried off their moves, finally landing an effective kick on Makoto that sent her crashing into a wall, slumping over in unconsciousness. Rei cried out in fury, sending fire blast after fire blast, causing the end of Usagi's cloak to catch fire. The blonde huffed in indignation. "Stupefy!" A thin red beam hit Rei in the chest and she fell over, frozen. "Petrificus Totalus!" Ami fell over as well. That left Dark. Usagi smirked as she pointed a finger at him. A red beam caught his fleeing body and he fell over as well. Suddenly, a kick out of nowhere sent her crashing into a wall. She groaned as pain from cracked ribs shot through her side. Stars burst in her eyes and she quickly healed herself before jumping up.

"That was a low blow," she was a facing a gorgeous man with light lavender hair and ice blue eyes. His hair was in a mushroom cut and fell into his eyes, adding boyish charm. He was ripped, with thick muscles and full eight-pack abs, his arms rippling. Usagi would have swooned in any other situation, but given that this man had the dark maroon cloak of a high-ranking Fight Warrior, and the aura of a Saiyan that he was giving off, she didn't want to think of how much it would hurt to fight him. He was gently floating in the air, arms crossed.

"And you would know much about it," his voice was deep and his tone cold. Usagi smiled frigidly.

"I don't even know who you are. But I'm willing to destroy you if you stand in my path towards destiny," Usagi's body glowed with silver-gold energy.

"You can call me Trunks," the man replied, his body bursting into gold before a blond haired, turquoise eyed man stood in front of her.

"Ooh, Super Saiyan," Usagi cooed sarcastically. "Well, Super Saiyan, meet your match. Moon Eternal Power Make-UP!" Her body exploded into a flurry of glitter, feathers, and ribbons, and Eternal Sailor Moon replaced her in all her glory. Her cupped sleeves were gone and her black leotard had replaced her white one. Sheer white gloves covered her from elbow down. A white sailor collar remained to partially cover her shoulders. A two-tiered white miniskirt with silver and gold embroidery barely covered her bottom and pink bows adorned her chest and the small of her back. Her boots were black with gold and silver and the Imperial Silver Crystal rested in the middle of the bow on her chest, the only thing supporting it a silver clasp. Feathery white wings protruded from her back. She grinned.

"Nice magic trick," Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Let's see what you can really do." With that, he blasted a ball of glowing white towards Usagi, who put an arm in front of her, creating a force field that absorbed the energy.

"My turn," Usagi closed her eyes in concentration. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy KISS!" A pale beam of energy left her hands and hit Trunks right in the chest, causing him to slam into the metal walls. Suddenly, he disappeared and reappeared behind Usagi, a small power blast sending her careening towards the floor. She disappeared into it and came up a few feet away. "Nice." She smirked, the ends of her bows whipping around as energy crackled around her body, encasing her in silver and gold. Her eyes radiated an ethereal glow and she put her hands together, forming the signs of the elements. The crescent mark on her forehead burst into light as a surge of water, fire, electricity, and ice slammed into Trunks' body, creating smoke as the four elements fused together. When it cleared, Trunks was nowhere to be seen. Usagi took this moment to fly at startling speeds towards the south, sensing that this was the exit.

"Thinking about escaping, hime?" Setsuna, known better as Sailor Pluto and a Warrior Unknown, stood in front of the double doors that led outside.

"You know what must happen Puu," her voice held no trace of emotion, contempt or otherwise. The garnet-eyed woman gave a mysterious smile.

"Hime, I cannot let you go."

"You've seen the future. Now move or I shall hurt you."

"You need help."

"I need no one," Usagi glared at the floor, her voice a quiet whisper. "I've survived the past ten years in this timeless dimension, never aging, never growing. They've only been here less than five of those years. They don't know what it was like before. They don't know what's really going on."

"Listen, hime, you need to take at least one person before you leave," Setsuna's eyes mirrored the pain in the blonde's heart, and she stepped aside. "But if you are truly confident that you will defeat them on your own, by all means, go right ahead. Just remember that you are the last and only hope. If you die, no one will replace you and the world will plunge into darkness."

The blonde paused for a moment, thinking. Help would be nice, but who would be willing to help her? Could she trust these naïve people? She needed a large variety of powers, but more than five would slow her down. Someone high-ranking would be nice. And so far, Rei, Trunks, Draco, and Dark were the best candidates. "Rei, Dark, Draco, and Trunks. That's all I'll be taking."

"There will be people waiting for you at Port L&B. I will not tell them what their mission is. It is up to you to reveal what you want to."

"Mission accepted."

* * *

You guys would probably like some explanations. I understand this can be a bit confusing.

Let's see… there are many different kinds of Warriors. Each specializes in one element or specialty attacks. They control and manipulate these elements. Trainers, on the other hands, are training to be specialized Warriors, and therefore, they aren't nearly as powerful. Masters are those who don't have any magic capabilities and therefore depend on their fighting skills to help the Rebellion.

As to the entire Usagi situation, I won't explain very much regarding it. This isn't because I'm mean, but because it needs to be introduced in a more subtle way.

This was a pretty long chapter, like four times the length of my regular ones, but I wanted enough to make a good intro to my new story. If any of you have questions, don't hesitate to ask, and remember to please review! I'm not sure what other anime/books/cartoons I'm going to cross it over with, but I'll see what I can find. I'm not an anime freak, so I don't know very many animes, but I'll be glad to look up info if any of you want to see someone.

I'd like to tell you all that after the next chapter of Breaking Ice, I will be taking a break from my writing. One shots will come out, but with intense writer's block and less time, I won't be writing new chapters for my existing stories, unless one of you can provide me with inspiration or a few suggestion/ideas on what I can do.

I won't be writing much on this fic unless you guys really like it. It's a multi-crossover. I don't know very many other animes since I'm not all that interested in them, but I am looking for others to include. Help and constructive cristicism is gladly accepted. The following are what's currently included/most likely will be.

**Gundam Wing**

**Teen Titans**

**DragonBallZ**

**DN Angel**

**Rurouni Kenshin**

**Weiss Kruz- a little bit of extra info is appreciated!**

**Harry Potter**

**A wee little bit of LoTR and hints of PotC: Curse of the Black Pearl**

Oh yeah. You know that button that says go? Please press it and leave me an uber quick review! Or a long one… whichever you have time for!


	2. Realizations

Haha, I really though that I had given up on this. But then BAM comes the inspiration. I'm so happy I'm back on track :) Don't be expecting too many new chapter throughout this school year. I've got a full workload and I won't be able to update as often. Still, if I haven't updated in _months, _just send me a wee reminder and I'll try and get something out for you guys, ok?

* * *

**A Difficult Predicament**

by samisweet

Part Two

Usagi flew towards Port L&B, which she knew was near Khoobsurat (1) Beach, her pure white wings flapping in fast whirs. Unsurprisingly, she had an extensive knowledge on the whereabouts of the Rebellion. Pluto had said that her 'team' would be waiting for her at the Port, after being briefed by the senshi of time. Dodging thick limbs and various animals, her disquieting speed caused the air around her to waver slightly. Her mouth was set in a grim line. The earlier fight was still fresh in her memory, the powerful and hurtful attack her senshi sent towards her displaying their updated powers. It seemed that she hadn't been the only one training. Her ribs were still hurt from Trunks' attack and Makoto's electricity was evident in the slight wooziness of her mind.

But her body had absorbed both energies into it and she would be able to release the force later, as with Rei's fire. With every injury from magicks and elementals, there came a way for revenge. It was a talent she had learned from her extended period with the Administration. Her eyes searched the area ahead as she reached a grassy clearing, and then, slowly, a white sanded beach. Beautiful turquoise waves crashed onshore, glittering with the golden reflection of the sun. The beach was strangely empty; had it been in any other place, a large slathering of people would be running through the waves and tanning on the sand. Her flight came to a sudden halt and she glanced around herself, eyes searching for some indication of an underground base and drawing her wings into her back. Nothing gave it away. She sighed, looking around for a hidden boulder of some sorts.

She must have pressed some invisible button or something during her search because suddenly, out of nowhere, a feminine mechanized voice asked, "Identification, please."

She jumped, startled. "Usagi Tsukino. Password Love and Beauty, V-Babe style."

"Password accepted," the blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes. It was so like Minako to give it such an obvious –well maybe not that obvious to others –password. A cylindrical metal box shot up from the ground, sparkling sand falling off in a shower of glimmer. The rounded door slid open and Usagi entered the small compartment, finding lush leather seats in a circular fashion, surrounding the walls of the box. She flopped onto welcome cushions, exhausted from her flight. The door whipped close and the box began a hurtling journey under ground before taking a sharp left, causing Usagi to fall backwards on the chair, heels over head. Grumbling, she righted herself, knowing that someone was probably watching and laughing at her.

The compartment slowly came to a stop, opening to reveal that she was _underwater_. The floor was made up of beautiful dark mahogany wood, the surface recently polished. A large glass half-cylinder created a hallway that stretched for around a half mile, beautiful silver poles holding it up, molding to the shape of the glass. Various runes and symbols were etched into the surface. Usagi noticed many to be ancient spells against evil and ill fortune. No wonder this base hadn't been attacked yet. These enchantments were astonishingly strong and complex. Not even the Administration would be able to make it through.

She stepped forward, her stilettos echoing strangely in the hallway, her senses on alert. Walking over to one side of the domed hallway, she regarded the world outside. It was simply stunning, the clear cerulean waters housing striking silvery schools of fish. A dolphin clicked its tongue happily as it watched her through the glass, pressing its nose against the window. She smiled softly in spite of herself, her hand resting against the area where the dolphin had touched the glass. It flipped in the water, doing a series of summersaults and causing Usagi to laugh.

"They're cute, aren't they?" a cool voice drawled out of nowhere, causing the blonde to retreat into her cape and change back to her cold demeanor.

"Yes, they are," Usagi's voice betrayed nothing of what she was feeling as she drew the cowl of her hood, seeking security in the darkness of the cloth. It shadowed her entire face, keeping intruders from reading her emotions. "How have you been Minako?"

"Fine," a figure dressed in a bright orange cloak stepped forward, throwing off her hood. It revealed a heavenly face, one that all men lusted after, the very essence of beauty. Her eyes were a sparkling blue, one that matched the ocean outside. She was more lusty than beautiful, however, but in her own respect, her beauty surpassed all. Tendrils of gently curling sun-kissed blonde hair framed her face in an enticing way, her pouty, full lips pink and touched with a little clear lip gloss. She had a full figure, with lusciously curving hips and a rather slim waist, enhanced by her pale orange leotard and white miniskirt. Her leotard was dotted with glittering sequins in swirling patterns and her feet were adorned with strappy orange heels with a good three inches on them, ribbons wrapping up her calves. Currently, her face was adulterated with a look of loathing, her eyes narrowed into an azure intensity. "How are you, Usagi?"

"Never been better," she replied, laughing lightly. "Aren't you going to welcome me to your home?"

Minako made a noise of disgust before turning heel and walking down the hallway. Usagi followed leisurely, taking in the oceanic scenes that surrounded her. The dolphin was following happily, performing small tricks for her. She offered it a small smile, nodding once, and the dolphin, somehow understanding, left with a flip of its tail. The long hall gave way to a metal door, a set of buttons to the left. Punching in a long code, the doors slid open, revealing a stunning clear crystal hallway that showed the ocean. Minako walked purposefully, refusing to meet Usagi's eyes, before making a sharp turn to the left and leading her to a set of double doors.

"Through there on your left," Minako said sharply before turning and leaving. Usagi sighed and drew the cowl of her hood, pushing the double doors open. It revealed a linoleum-tiled hallway with flickering tubelights above, almost dismal and grim. She turned left, revealing a dimly lit room with a round granite table in the middle. Simple black chairs were arranged around the room, four of them currently occupied. Usagi gave a bleak smile as she made her entrance. Rei, Trunks, Dark, and Draco had previously been in deep conversation, but upon seeing her, abruptly stopped. Rei glared unabashedly in her direction, causing Usagi a little discomfort.

"I hope you are well prepared for this mission," Usagi began softly. Her voice was dull and almost monotonous. "It will not be easy." This was met by raised eyebrows, as if to say 'you underestimate us too much'. "I can tell you now that your lives will be in constant danger. Those of you who wish to back down must do so now."

"You take us for cowards like you?" Rei burst out angrily, eyes flashing. "If you think we're faint at heart, think of yourself. You're pathetic." Usagi gave Rei a steely look but continued without addressing the raven-haired beauty.

"But I must make one thing clear. This is a dangerous mission, which means that you need to follow _all_ of my directions, no matter how stupid it seems. When I tell you to run, _you must run_. No arguments, regardless of my position."

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked softly, hands crossed over his chest. Usagi fell silent for a moment.

"There are certain enemies that are more powerful than you can imagine. I will try my best to buy you time to run, and then follow. Do not worry about me because I know the weaknesses of all of our enemies."

"So now you think we're weak, just because you caught us off-guard back at the headquarters?" Rei demanded. She was trembling with rage.

"I never said that. We need to make it to the central headquarters of the Administration of Oz. That means that we should get there with as few casualties as possible. None of us is on par against some of the people we will be fighting. In such cases, we must run. I am merely ensuring your safety, so that you may fight when it really counts."

"And what about you? Setsuna said that our mission is to keep you safe," Dark spoke up, curiosity in his eyes.

"Setsuna misinterpreted my words. You are not there as my guards, but as my companions. Since I will be the leader, it is my duty to ensure that you are safe. I made a promise to Setsuna anyhow. I intend to keep that promise."

"What promise?" Draco drawled lazily. Usagi gave him a sharp look.

"It is none of your business. If we are prepared, we should get going. I've packed enough food to last us a week, nothing more."

"We've packed enough food for a month," Rei declared. "Well, we've been ready for a while now."

"I would suggest getting out of your Warrior uniforms. It would help if people fail to recognize us," Usagi snapped her fingers and three black training gi (2) appeared in her hands. "It should fit all of you. Setsuna had it specially prepared for us. These watches are for communication, much like the ones we had back home, Rei." She handed the uniforms out to each person. Then, she snapped her fingers and four black watches appeared with silver caps, a golden moon etched on the surface. She handed them out. "I'll wait here while you go change." Usagi nodded towards the door and Rei, Draco, Trunks, and Dark all exited. Usagi sighed, dropping her impeccable aura of authority. Regarding the room around her, her eyes fell upon a tiny camera in a corner of the wall, watching over her. The light above flickered constantly, throwing shadows around the white-walled room.

"We're ready," Rei's harsh voice brought Usagi out of her thoughts and the blonde simply gave a short nod.

"Alright, while we walk, I'll fill you in on some other things," Usagi began as she led them out of the dank hallway. "The Administration is preparing a large-scale attack in one year's time. This attack will rip apart the very fabric of time and space, merging countless universes and dimensions together. Our goal is to weaken the Administration through mini invasions of their headquarters. There are about 21 minor ones and 7 major ones. Each area of this world has one central headquarter, with three minor ones branching out and overseeing the territory."

"You seem very knowledgeable –not that I'm surprised," Rei snorted. "Why the sudden switch of sides?"

"It wasn't sudden," Usagi replied curtly with a frosty voice.

"Oh? So after _killing_ hundreds of innocent people, it's not _sudden_?" Rei bitterly said. Usagi abruptly stopped, head bowed so that her bangs shadowed her eyes. Her body was tense with anger and her hands were clenched.

"I did not kill a single innocent being," Usagi's voice dropped by 30 degrees. The hostility caused a shudder to go through the group. "And Rei, I will not put up with your words any longer. If you can't keep your mouth shut, you will stay behind. The loss of your presence is not so large that it will make a difference, if it makes one at all." When Usagi looked up and at Rei, the amethyst-eyed youth involuntarily took a step back. Usagi's eyes were cold and blank, almost white in color. The rest of the journey was in a thick, tense silence. Once Usagi reached the sandy shores above, she turned towards the group. "Remember, you will need to follow my every instruction. We will need to fly, since that's faster. When we tire, we can walk. If anyone becomes tired, or if my pace is too fast, just tell me and I will slow down or take a break. I will ask you one last time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be coming," Draco scoffed. Dark smirked while Trunks merely nodded. Rei didn't answer, but gave Usagi a fiery glare. Usagi sighed before hovering above the ground. The sun was lower in the sky, reflecting glimmering gold from the turquoise waters of the sea.

"We will need to head south," Usagi said, waiting for the others to follow her lead. They did and soon, she was whizzing past the sandy beach into the thick forest from which she had arrived. The forest was darker now, and the cries of birds were faint and few. "Rei, are these forests protected?"

"To an extent," Trunks spoke up when Rei refused to talk. He easily matched Usagi's fast pace. "Only half of the forest is protected but the south end isn't. It's thicker and darker there."

"I see," Usagi replied, falling silent, and instead, listening to the chattering behind her. Small squabbles broke out every now and then against the smallest things, causing a small smile to quirk the edges of her lips as she flew past blurred trees, small streams of white light dappling her skin. The trees were tall and leafy, benefiting from the fertile soil beneath. There was a sort of magic in the forest, almost repressing her attempts at going south. She supposed it was created to prevent trainers from leaving. The trunks were bare until about thirty-forty feet above, where they began to sprout branches and thick foliage. The ground was free of other plants and covered in a carpet of rotting leaves and slimy moss. Ahead, it extended beyond the eye's ability to see, and as she ventured deeper into the secluded depths of the magicked woodland, the darkness grew. The leaves became thicker, allowing almost no light to pass through, and the trees were closer together. She paused as her eyes were suddenly bombarded with obscurity. Extending a hand, she lit her palm with a floating flame, giving light in a radius of no more than ten feet. She could feel the others stop behind her and fall silent. Her feelings were overwhelmed with a sense of doom as she floated into the darkness. The spell that was meant to repel the Trainers had lifted a few feet back.

"Be on your guard," Usagi's soft whisper seemed to echo off of every leaf and surface, surrounding them in hushed talking. The lack of light here was strange and unnerving; it seemed as if the flame on the palm of her hand was the only light the place had seen. Even then, the shadows sucked out the fire until it was almost nonexistent and just enough for Usagi to see by. The blonde frowned. It was not the fact that she was afraid of darkness, but the fact that there was no noise. If she was blinded by the darkness, the silence definitely made her deaf. It was heavy and suppressing and Usagi almost felt as if she never had the ability to hear in the first place. Not a single organism made a noise. The wind failed to rustle the leaves above and even the small noises her group made were lost to the gargantuan silence. Suddenly, a loud wail erupted from faraway, obnoxiously loud in the previous quietness of the woods. Usagi winced at the high pitch. She could feel a tremor run through the group behind her. She paused and allowed them to come forward. It would be better if they stayed together.

Without warning, something came hurtling through the trees and straight at Usagi. The blonde put her arms up in an 'x' formationin defense. Whatever it was caused her to fly back and slam hard into a thick tree trunk, casting the forest in utter darkness. Rei quickly brought flames to her hands, lighting the woodland in a fiery glow. She turned in time to see Usagi approaching the ground in a free-fall. Dark swiftly caught her right before she made contact with the carpet of rotting leaves on the floor.

"Thanks," Usagi said stiffly. Her eyes were alert and she quickly looked around for any other forms. "Backs together." The others understood and all five were floating in the air with their backs facing each other. Usagi felt a change in the temperature of the air and threw up her hands just in time to form a silver shield against a large-scale attack of black lightening. "Youma." Rei narrowed her eyes. She detested youma for what they made her do and for what they made out of her. Her fists exploded into fiery inferno as the first youma leered at them. It was a muddy brown with pale, albino-like eyes and cried out as the light hit its face. Its teeth were pointy and at least five inches in length, contrasting with its grotesque, small head and sticking out awkwardly. Rei blasted it with fire, mouth set in grim satisfaction as she heard its scream of pain.

"I'll hold up the shield to protect us," Usagi stated as she moved to the center of the circle, arms extended straight above her, palms flat. The others nodded and closed the empty gap. Trunks narrowed his eyes as a twin of the previously killed youma appeared and a blast of energy destroyed it. Suddenly, they were barricaded by the strange, small creatures, the size of a medium dog. Hundreds poured out of the trees and Usagi began to feel pressure as the youma slammed against her shield, battering it with bodies and energy attacks. They were ridiculously weak, but in a group as large as this, they would be able to cause a good amount of damage. Usagi winced, throwing her shoulders back and extending her arms to the sides to expand the shield as the others threw out attack after attack. She poured as much energy as she possibly could without tapping too far into her reserves. Her elbows became bent as she tried to keep the shield from shattering. Youma piled onto the shield, covering every centimeter of the surface, growling angrily into their faces. The shield began to shrink and Usagi's muscles were locked in place and tense, attempting to keep the shield up.

"Mars Inferno KISS!" Rei shouted angrily. A band of bright red light flew out of her body and raced across all free space. When the blinding light had disappeared, not a soul was in sight. Usagi fell limp, breathing heavily. Her back was in slight pain, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"Is everyone unscathed?" the blonde managed to pant out. Trunks nodded, eyes narrowed and alert. Draco shrugged while Dark gave a thumbs-up.

"I didn't even feel them. They were around us the entire time," Rei said uncertainly, brow knit together as she held her blazing fists in front of her. Usagi nodded.

"Their energy levels are too low to comprehend."

"But that attack they sent towards you slammed you into a tree," Dark pointed out.

"That wasn't them. That was something else," Usagi gravely said. Her companions let silence fall over them. The ring of light that surrounded them threw questionable shadows across the gnarled tree trunks.

"Why don't we just fly over the forest?" Dark asked pointedly. Usagi gave him a strange look.

"You can't. A spell in this area keeps people from escaping until they have successfully found their way out."

"Oh, now you tell us," Draco growled sarcastically. "Why couldn't we have taken another route?"

"The village we are trying to reach is hidden deep within this forest," Usagi replied simply. She snapped her palms open and holy silver light filled them, creating a bright glow that revealed the pale, almost white color of the leaves and the light tan of the trees. This forest had never seen the beauty of light and grew blindly in the dark. She assumed the trees gained their energy from the uppermost part; there was no shrubbery below. A few tiny critters with blind white eyes and pale, rubbery skin scattered as they felt the group approaching; they were blind, so they could not see the light. Here in this forest, it was cold. The training gi provided little warmth from the iciness, but Usagi did not flinch in the least. The others were huddled against Rei's fiery hands.

As they progressed into the forest, the darkness became worse, if possible. Usagi found it stifling and after a while, she found that she had the inability to progress further into the woods. The darkness was quickly eating up the light that she emitted, and it weakened her slightly. She grunted and limited her energy output. It seemed to echo continuously. Usagi swallowed. This forest held dark creatures and they would have to face them soon. She hated the anticipation.

* * *

1) Khoobsurat (khoob-SUE-rahth) means beautiful in Hindi 

Questions? Comments? Don't hesitate to leave a review! I'll try and answer as much as I can without giving away too much of the plot. And worry not, people, Usagi's not a Mary Sue. You'll see that pretty much everyone's insanely powerful ;) I know this chapter's not as long as the last, but I'll work on something longer for next time, ok?

These are the current animes that I'm going to include. I've excluded some stuff from the previous chapters:

Gundam Wing

Weiss Kreuz

Bleach

Harry Potter

DN Angel

Dragon Ball Z

Some aspects of Utawarerumono

Some aspects of LotR


	3. Resumptions

Yeah, this is the edited version. There were some grammar/spelling errors that I missed and they were driving me crazy :( But they're fixed now!

_Note_: Oopsies! I accidentally deleted the chapter instead of replacing it... sorry guys! It's not a new chapter :(

So, it's been a while... a lot has happened to me over the past half-year. I think I've changed quite a bit; a more detailed explanation is in my profile. I am happy to say, however, that I'll be updating more often now that I feel better. I'm sorry I've let so many people on FFN down and I apologize for my lack of output (and input) over the past few months. Well, I've worked on this chapter every now and then and I find I have enough for a nice long chapter, so enjoy!

* * *

**A Difficult Predicament**

By samisweet

Part Three

As Usagi crept along, the coldness grew worse and lifelessness hung from barren trees. The branches, however, were numerous and thick and created a wooden blanket above to prevent those who entered from leaving. The warmth from Rei's hands did little to heat the cold bodies of the others and they shivered as the iciness settled into their bones. They had summoned their cloaks to warm themselves a while ago, but it did little to help. Usagi wrapped herself deeper into her cloak, suppressing a shudder. She paused for a moment, turning slightly sideways.

"It's going to get colder. It would be wise to take out your winter cloaks," her voice seemed to echo endlessly into the darkness. Rei unconsciously drew herself into her cloak, focusing for a moment in order to let it melt into a thicker, warmer version.

"Why is it so cold?" Rei asked stiffly. Being a Fire Warrior, she was naturally spiteful of cold weather.

"Because something's sucking energy. Heat is a form of energy," Usagi replied, and this time, she was unable to suppress a shudder. "It would be wise to let go of that flame in your hands. You'll be left weaker. I'll use some cooler form of energy to create a light source." Rei hesitated for a moment, but extinguished the fire, casting the forest into impenetrable darkness. Usagi focused for a moment, and a cold silver light exploded from her fingertips, casting tall shadows on trees.

"Won't it suck the heat from your light as well?" Rei questioned, annoyed.

"Yeah, but not as much as fire."

"Well, you're our leader," Trunks said gruffly. "You should keep your energy reserved, right?"

"It doesn't matter. All of you are skilled and I trust you to help each other if anything should happen to me," Usagi frowned, suddenly noticing something. "Do any of you see something ahead?"

"No…" Dark answered, his brow creased. "Probably the shadows from the light."

"Why? Do you feel something?" Rei asked testily with a low voice.

"I thought I did, but be alert," Usagi replied as she shot a look at Rei. Rei's eyes widened and she uneasily cleared her throat.

"I sense something now… it's there, but it's like a hollow feeling…" Rei paused. "I don't know what it is. If we stop for a moment, I can do a quick reading."

"There is no sacred fire," Usagi pointed out. Rei snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Please, that stuff is out-dated. I don't need that anymore," Rei's eyes gleamed mischievously before she shut them as she put her hands together in front of her, brusquely forming the symbols of the elements with quick, deft fingers. When her eyes snapped open, they were bright with fiery light, an inferno glowing in her irises. Usagi watched with muted interest as a slight wind began to whip her cloak about her. "Watch out, behind you!" Rei's voice was hoarse as she shouted and Usagi reacted quickly with wide eyes, immediately plummeting ten feet towards the ground. Something whizzed past her head, almost entangling itself with the long strands of blonde hair that rushed to defy the laws of physics.

"What in the world?" Usagi gasped, her heart thudding against her chest as she stole a glance above her –and immediately blanched. It was a grotesque creature, it's skin a pitch black that would have blended in with its surroundings save for a hideous mask that shone a pure white. "I think it's a –a Hollow?"

"What beautiful, tassssty sssouls," the creature purred delightedly, turning its insubstantial eyes towards Usagi. Its lips curled back in a sneer. "How deliciousss." Usagi made a face and prepared for battle. The monster had a gigantic spider-like body and using its many legs, scuttled along trees. It was surprisingly swift for a being of such bulk and largeness.

"What? A soul eater?" Usagi scoffed as a furious wind whipped up around her. She drew her right hand backward, as if to draw an arrow, and after a moment of stretching it as far as she could, unfurled her hand as if to let something go. And arrow of pure silver light flew from her hand, aimed straight at the Hollow's white mask. The Hollow evaded it just when it was about to hit and suddenly let out a large string of saliva, which hit the unsuspecting Usagi straight on. Usagi cried out as she slammed into a tree, the gooey spit holding her up. "What the…. Disgusting!"

"Mars flame sniper!" Rei quickly nocked an arrow of fire and drew a bow that materialized in her hands. Flames rained down on the Hollow as the arrow pierced through the monster's leg. It cried out in a shrill shriek that echoed through the otherwise quiet forest.

"Petrificus totalus!" Draco shouted as a burst of energy evaded his pointed finger and hit the Hollow dead on. It fell, petrified, just as Trunks was able to reach it and slam a fist laced with purple electricity through its mask. The Hollow disintegrated into a trail of glitter that reached past the branches into the skies.

"Are you all right?" Dark asked as he surveyed the glue-like saliva that held a pale Usagi to the tree.

"Do I look alright?" Usagi snapped. "I can't move and it's slightly acidic. My skin's getting raw."

"I don't know what to do," Dark murmured as he grabbed Usagi's free hand and attempted to pull her out. Her shoulder lifted slightly, a stretch of the goop connected to the tree, but that was all that could be done

"Don't dislocate my arm!" Usagi winced a little as she felt her skin starting to burn faintly.

"What is that?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's some sort of adhesive, corrosive substance. I don't think I've ever encountered anything like it," Trunks stared calculatingly at the material. "I think we could maybe burn it off…"

"It's highly flammable," Usagi replied brusquely. "Maybe water?"

"But where would we get water from an area like this?" Rei muttered.

"Rei, have you forgotten?"

"Forgotten _what_?"

"The exchange of crystals… Form the sign of Neptune and of water, then call it forth."

Rei's eyes widened in surprise. Indeed, she had forgotten it because Usagi's betrayal came only a day after the ritual in which all of the senshi exchanged shards of crystal in order to form a bond and be able to have some control over all elements. Rei took in a deep breath and formed the symbol of Neptune and that of water over and over again with her hands, chanting the planet's name under her breath. On her forehead began to glow a teal symbol, the light of which expanded to encompass her entire body. When her eyes snapped open, they were the green-blue color of the clear Caribbean Sea, Michiru's elegance reflected in them. "Neptune Deep SUBMERGE!"

A wall of rushing water hit Usagi dead on, and for a moment, she miscalculated the time it would take to reach her and accidentally breathed in, the rush of the water burning her throat, leaving her feeling as if she were drowning. The water filled her lungs but as soon as the last of it dripped down her legs, Usagi coughed for air, spitting out a stream of water. She pummeled down the length of the tree, drifting in and out of consciousness, attempting to get a hold of herself. Dark, once again, caught her swiftly before laying her down on the dank carpet of moss that dared to grow at the bottom of the forest. Usagi curled up on her side, coughing violently as she attempted to eradicate the water from her system. She was thoroughly drenched, and although she had felt only a little chilly before, she felt as if she were freezing now.

"Are you ok?" Rei asked hesitantly, a tentative look in her eyes. Usagi pulled herself to a sitting position and nodded, still coughing. She winced when she touched her arms. They were raw and red, and in some places, the acid had eaten through her skin and she bled.

"You look horrible," Draco stated matter-of-factly.

"Thanks," Usagi wheezed. Her coughing had cleared up and she struggled to get her breathing under control.

"Aren't you cold?" Trunks asked, moving to help her into a standing position, careful of her wounds.

"I'm ok," she said stiffly. "I won't bother to heal myself because these wounds are superficial, but stay back a little. I should dry myself off." Her warning came through and the others backed away curiously. She closed her eyes before murmuring a small spell. Heat burst from within and when her body temperature returned to normal, she was completely dry, clothes and all. She summoned a set of bandages before setting herself to work and trying to loosely bandage all of her wounds. Rei watched for a few moments, hand clenching, before sighing.

"Here, let me," Rei said gruffly, pushing Usagi's hands away from the bandages. She carefully applied a salve that she contracted from her sub-space pocket with gentle hands, and suddenly, she was reminded of her days on earth when she would help Usagi heal after a particularly harsh attack, always feeling guilty because Usagi would put herself in harm's way to make sure that she was safe. She still couldn't understand why her leader had betrayed her. She lowered her eyes, carefully wrapping Usagi's thighs with the bandages.

"What was that?" Trunks asked, leaning against a tree, his eyes accustomed to the darkness.

"A Hollow," Usagi managed to spit out. "They like to eat souls, so they'll kill you first and once your soul is free from your body, they eat it. They are created when a particularly depressed or lonely spirit's mental stability becomes worse. Their pain swallows them until a white mask begins to creep along their face. Once their face is covered, they become soulless creatures that need to eat the souls of others to survive. They prefer the souls of those who are pure, powerful, or special."

"They sound dangerous," Draco spoke up as he crossed his arms against his chest. He watched Rei address Usagi's wounds nonchalantly.

"They are rather weak. It only takes a punch to their mask to defeat them, but they all have special or surprise attacks and a few of them are extraordinarily powerful. That one was mediocre, a little on the high side."

"I see," Dark tossed his hair. "How much longer?"

"Once I'm done," Rei snapped as she moved on to Usagi's arms. "You'll have to expose your stomach. The blood's seeping through."

"It's not that bad," Usagi protested quietly. "I've suffered much worse. Just do my arms and leave it at that."

"What if it really is bad and something happens to you? How are we supposed to know what to do?"

"Worry about yourselves," Usagi's voice was back to its original coolness after she realized that her mask had fallen. "I've already told you my plans. In battle, there are always casualties. And a little bit of acid will not do any harm to my body. My wounds will heal in ten minutes." Rei rolled her eyes, tying the knot of the bandage tightly. "Once we are done with this, we must hurry. We have lost too much time. The village disappears at midnight."

"That leaves us an hour," Trunks stated. "If you're too injured, then one of us can carry you."

"I'm fine," Usagi replied coldly, although a small unnoticeable twitch in her eye nearly gave her away. She was not going to tell them that the poison of the muck had seeped into her blood. "You should know better than anyone that a warrior is made through pain and pain alone. Thank you, Rei." Rei muttered in response before standing and brushing off her legs. Usagi gave a slight wince as she got to her feet; the acid still burned and would do so for the next hour or two, until her blood cleansed her of it. "Well, let's go." Usagi took to the air, waiting only a moment for the others to follow suit, before zooming off into the distance. The others followed her easily, so she picked up the pace and flew through the tall, bare trees, her hair rushing behind her. Rei was closest to her, eyes alert for any sort of breach in her judgment.

"How far away is it?" Trunks asked, catching up to the blonde.

"About fifteen miles in," Usagi replied curtly. "Make sure you all stay alert." The rest of the passage was spent in silence. A half hour later, Usagi pulled herself to a sudden stop, grunting when Rei bumped into her back. Before her was a shimmering blue dome in a clearing, evidently a force-field –and within, a village of mud-and-straw buildings teeming with people. Above, the branches cleared to reveal a moonless, star-lit night.

"Whoa," Dark breathed. "A village in the middle of _nowhere_."

Usagi ignored him and followed the curve of the dome to the forest bottom. A fortress surrounded the village, built from stones and ancient runes and spells carved intricately into the surface. From the top of the wall, armed sentries watched the surrounding forest diligently. One of the sentries noticed the small group at the bottom of the fort and motioned to someone behind him, his black outfit marking him as one of the famous Shinigami. The Shinigami was a group of strongly skilled remarkable warriors who depended on a sword with a resident spirit to defeat their enemies, the Hollows most notable out of them. Shinigami were also infamous for being ruthless and dependable and to say that Usagi respected them was an understatement.

"What is your purpose here in Soul Society?" a low, testy voice caught Usagi's attention. She looked up to find a gruff man with an eye patch over one eye glaring at her from the other side of the force field, numerous scars marring all visible skin. Usagi nodded at him in respect.

"Tsukino Usagi," her icy voice caused even him to falter for the smallest fraction of a second. "I am here to rest for the night. I hope you will be kind enough to allow my group and me to do so and I would like to meet with a Kurosaki Ichigo and an Ukitake-san, if you please. It's rather urgent. Ah yes, Zaraki-taichou, and if I could please speak with Yachiru-chan as well, I would appreciate it." The man's eyes widened considerably and he stared at Usagi with a dropped jaw for a few moments, frozen. Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you can begin by telling me the password."

"Usagi-chan!" a blur of pink whizzed at Usagi before smacking into the force field and falling backwards. Usagi bit back a smile as a cheery little girl with pink hair grinned up at her. "Usagi-chan is back!"

"The password is Rukongai," Zaraki said as he threw Yachiru onto his shoulder.

"Thank you. Rukongai," the force field before her wavered before a small section, just big enough for her to enter, appeared. The rest of the group followed her and the force field reappeared.

"Amazing," Trunks breathed, his hands running over the runes carved into the stone fortress. "These spells are incredibly powerful."

"Wanna fight?" Zaraki asked gruffly, drawing himself to his fullest height. Without warning, he sped towards Trunks.

"Sword of Selene!" Usagi shouted quickly. The flat edge of her sword crashed with Zaraki's. She held the pure white gold hilt tightly in her hands. Yachiru cried out gleefully.

"Sword of Ares!" Rei shouted confusedly. A silver blade with a pure white hilt embedded with rubies and humming with power appeared in her hands. She held it in front of her with inexperienced hands.

"Don't call out weapons you aren't used to using," Usagi bit out harshly. "The spirit of Ares resides in your sword; think about what would happen if you ever lose control."

"Oh?" Rei raised an eyebrow defiantly. "And you would know how to use it?"

"I've been here far longer than you have," Usagi replied coolly with calculating eyes. "I can wield my zanpakuto better than any other. Yachiru-chan knows that." Yachiru grinned.

"Yeah! Bunny is so awesome!" Yachiru hopped down from Zaraki's shoulder. "When I first fell, I was lost, and then Bunny came and I thought she was an enemy so I tried to attack her but she defeated me and then she asked me who I was and I told her and she was really nice and gave me food and _candy_ and then she took me to where Ken-chan was and boom! I was there."

"Well, I am hungry and tired and my wounds need to heal, so explore the village," Usagi ordered her team. "Make sure to remain kind and gracious and respect everyone you see. Yachiru-chan, please take me to see the fourth division captain. I think the acid from the Hollow has poisoned my blood." Zaraki merely glared at Usagi, obviously annoyed that she had parried his attack and walked away, leaving Yachiru to her. Rei, Dark, Draco, and Trunks dispersed, leaving the blonde in the hands of the young co-captain.

"This way!" Yachiru said happily as she led Usagi.

"Are you sure I can trust your sense of direction?" Usagi raised an eyebrow, remembering how directionally challenged Yachiru was. She gently and subtly tugged the youth in the right direction and the pink-haired vice-captain happily followed. She allowed her proud shoulders to fall and her mask to drop as soon as she entered the large sun-baked brick building of the famous Unohana-taichou. Lines of rooms overflowing with patients followed every hallway and the only brick building in the village had three floors and three hundred rooms.

Tired lines appeared on Usagi's face as she watched moaning and groaning men shift and whine. The Shinigami of a few divisions defied their pain and grinned proudly at their wounds, obviously delighted that they could have battle scars to show off. Usagi shook her head at them; it would get tiring after the 100th fight. As she climbed the dimly lit stairs to the third floor, where Unohana-taichou was likely to be tending to a new batch of patients, she found herself dizzy. The poison would have to be pretty strong if her body had not been able to eradicate it as of yet. She turned the corner of the hallway, following Yachiru swiftly despite her lassitude, and finally found Unohana-taichou in an overcrowded room gently applying herbs to a bad wound.

"Guess who's here!" Yachiru announced loudly as she entered the room, grinning ear to ear. Usagi followed, leaning heavily on the wall as all traces of her façade of strength left. She gave a small nod.

"Ah yes, Tsukino-san," Unohana gave a kind smile as she rose. "What is the problem?"

"Poisoning from a Hollow; it's in my blood," Usagi replied. "Also, lack of sleep and energy drainage. And Usagi is fine, Unohana-taichou."

"My, our most powerful warrior was thwarted by a Hollow? That's rather surprising," Unohana led Usagi to a bed in spite of massive protests from the overwhelming amount of wounded men that needed tending to. Usagi gave a desolate sigh before closing her eyes and sending a quick wish to the crystal that resided within her body. In a flash of silver light, their shallow wounds were healed. They gaped at themselves in amusement.

"You're healed, aren't you?" Usagi bit impatiently. "Leave!" The frigidity in her voice caused them to follow her command and Unohana laughed lightly.

"Energy drainage?" she raised an eyebrow before helping Usagi settle into a bed, her cape pooled on the floor. "These wounds seem to cover your entire body. I'm sure you told the rest of your team you would be fine?"

"Of course. I didn't imagine that my blood would not be able to wipe out the poison," Usagi snapped her fingers and her clothes disappeared from her body, leaving her unabashedly naked. She quieted as Unohana looked carefully over her wounds, applying a clear, sticky salve to the lacerations that stretched across her abdomen, chest, back, neck, and limbs. Unohana clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"You should learn to take care of yourself, Tsukino-san," Unohana pressed the blade of her zanpakuto to Usagi's forehead and closed her eyes, muttering a chant. A blue light flared from the tip of the sword and covered Usagi's body. Once it was gone, Usagi could feel that her blood was once again clean. She nodded thankfully towards the captain of the 4th division. "I'll leave you here to sleep."

"Thank you," Usagi replied before snapping her fingers once again. For the first time in five years, she was happily clad in a pair of baggy pink plaid pajamas and an over-sized nightshirt. It was the most comfortable she had been in a long time. Unohana laughed again before covering Usagi with a sheet and leaving the tired blonde in the quiet solitude of the empty room. And slowly, Usagi drifted into a blissful slumber void of dreams.

* * *

I've come back to find that this section is sadly lacking once again. I don't mean to say that everything is bad, but these people do need work. I know a lot of the veteran writers have left, and only a few of us are left, but with the write constructive criticism, I think a lot of these potential writers could maybe replace us as we leave for good, right? So work hard, people! Because I know for a fact that most of us older authors probably won't be back, and you guys must replace us by giving out quality writing and pieces to bring this community back up to its feet, ne? 

Anyway, that said, I think Hope is long overdue for a new chapter, so I'll work on that next, ok? Any thoughts, comments, and critiques are more than welcome, so don't be afraid to leave a few lines! Please review.


End file.
